Cary Williams' rant might have some truth

OK, SO IN YEAR 2, the Kool-Aid has this bitter aftertaste to it.

Year 1, it tasted just great. The players drank it. The fans drank it. The media drank it . . .

And drank it . . . And drank it . . .

We all drank it freely, glee-ly. The Eagles ownership and management poured it from big ladles, this premise that Chip Kelly's new-age emphasis on nutrition and sports science gave our Eagles more stamina than a bottle of Viagra and made them nearly impervious to the everyday injury bug that infested the rest of the NFL.

How else to explain that the starting offensive line was together for 98.3 percent of all snaps last year? That the running back had himself a league-leading career year? That the backup quarterback became the franchise quarterback. Even the little receiver who ultimately rubbed the coach so wrong that he was run out of town, stayed healthy throughout and had himself a career year.

But that was then, and this is now. And if Cary Williams made any point after Sunday's 37-34 victory over Washington, it is that this is the most disjointed, banged-up 3-0 team since, well, Jimmy Johnson was a coach. And with all the hurts, it might get worse before it gets any better.

For starters, the Eagles only have a couple of starters left on that once-invincible offensive line heading out west for their Sunday matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. And then there are Williams' comments, a toxic mix of exhaustion and frustration, in which he blamed the Eagles' slow starts on being overworked in practice and preseason.

"I never had hamstring issues until I came to Philadelphia," Williams said toward the end of a long postgame session Sunday. "It's been an issue really since I first got here. But I was able to do whatever it takes to get it right. But as the year progresses, and the season goes on, you get fatigued. Your body gets fatigued . . .

"Guys are finding ways to get it done. But to be honest with you, starting with low energy is not conducive to a winning program."

The Eagles are 10-1 over their last 11 regular-season games. The slow starts have occurred this season. Last year, their M.O. was amassing big leads, then holding on for dear life. So not much of what Williams said makes a whole lot of sense.

Except the part about being 30, a threshold he actually won't pass until Dec. 23. Williams may be a tad slower and prone to overaggressive mistakes from time to time, but he hasn't missed a game since becoming a starter in 2011.

He's no baby in age or in attitude, so it's fair to ask, 2 years in, if Kelly's Kool-Aid is better suited for a team of teenagers and young adults.

"We factor everything in," Kelly insisted yesterday. "We look at every player as an individual. So what we do with Trent Cole is different than what we do with Marcus Smith. What we do with DeMeco Ryans is different than what we do with Casey Matthews. Everybody is different, and there are a wide variety of ages. You have guys in their 30s, but you have guys fresh out of college. So we're aware of that."

We all know Kelly is a student of the game. Those are the exact words he has used to describe his outspoken cornerback on several occasions. "He doesn't talk very much, but when he talks, you should listen to him," the coach is quoted as saying in the team's media guide. "He's got a great football mind."

So should we listen to him here? The reaction around the Eagles' locker room was varied Sunday, which seems to suggest, from a perception standpoint at least, that there's a little fire amid this smoke. On WIP last night, LeSean McCoy said, "I can understand what he means," and given Shady's lack of productivity this season, it's not a reach to think he might agree.

McCoy, by the way, just turned 26.

"That's just how Cary is," Connor Barwin, one of the defensive leaders, said yesterday on WIP's "Mike and Ike Show." "We understand that. So it wasn't surprising . . . DeSean made a great play. And I think maybe Cary just got emotional and maybe for some reason he didn't feel as fresh as he needed to be. We all know Cary. We trust Cary. We've got his back. We'll be there for him and we'll be fine moving forward.

"It's been a rough 3 weeks playing from behind, then with the short week, so maybe Cary didn't feel as fresh as he wanted to. I don't know. But I think the way we train is just great and I feel good on Sunday when we get out there."

Let's say this, as we enter Week 4. This team hasn't been this interesting since Terrell Owens hit the scene, and the way that played out was pretty fun - at least until that stomach-churning Super Bowl. And the cool thing about a 3-0 start is that this stuff tends to be more entertainment than turbulent - even bonding, if the coach handles it right.

Kelly's bemused response to it all suggests that he gets that. And as much or more than any potion he's selling or serving, or any conditioning regimen he's installed, that demeanor will be needed over the coming weeks, when Williams is revealed to be either pouter or prophet.